The Perfect Gift
by Foxboy614
Summary: Christmas is arriving, and Tikal is looking forward to spending it with her husband and family. But little does she know, Shadow has something special for her. Shadikal fluff. I OWN NOTHING! Rated T just to be safe.


**I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or its characters. I am merely doing this for fun and amusement.  
This was requested by ultimateCCC, who wanted to see a Shadikal Christmas story.**

Christmas time had finally arrived on Angel Island, announcing its arrival with a fluffy blanket of snow. And Tikal was buzzing with excitement, know that this will be her first Christmas that she will spend with her husband, Shadow.  
At the moment, she and the Chao were decorating her and Shadow's house. But Shadow, having already helped in decorating most of the house, had left with Junior to handle some, as he described it, secret business.

For up to three months, Shadow and Junior would disappear for a few hours at a time. He never told her why, or what he and Junior were doing, but he would always complete some sort of chore for her before he left. While she always thought it was nice of him, she still wanted answers as to what was going on.

Another question she had on her mind was why they always came back dirty in some way. Almost every time they were gone, they would come back covered in dirt. And at one point, Shadow came home with pieces of chipped marble in his quills. And another time, Junior would come home a bit wet. At first, it was his feet, before eventually coming home with the rest of his body wet.

It was a mystery to her.  
One she intended to find out about soon.

 *** Later at night… ***

Shadow and Tikal were getting ready to go to bed. Both had brushed their teeth, gotten their showers, and had put on their sleep clothes.  
Tikal looked over at Shadow and decided to ask him why he and Junior keep running off.

"So, did you and Junior have fun?" she asked.  
"Yeah, you could say that." Shadow replied. "We are so close to finishing our big project."  
"Oh? And what's that?" Tikal asked with curiosity.  
"Ah, I can't tell you." Shadow replied as he tapped her nose playfully. "It's a surprise."  
"Well… can I at least get a hint?" Tikal asked.  
"Well… let's just say… it's a very special project." Shadow told her. "That's all I can tell you at the moment."  
"I see." Tikal said as she got in bed. Soon, Shadow joined her and turned the lights out before he pulled Tikal in close, kissing her forehead softly.  
"Good night, Shadow." Tikal said as she snuggled into his chest.  
"Good night, my love." Shadow replied.  
Soon, both had drifted off to dream land.

Over the next few days, Shadow and Junior continued to leave at various different times, and continued to come home dirty. Tikal really wanted to know what they were working on.  
But when Christmas was five days away, they stopped leaving. Tikal was confused at first, but Shadow later told her, on Christmas Eve, that he and Junior were finished with the project. Tikal excitedly asked what it was, now that they were done, but Shadow still refused to tell her.

But on Christmas day, she would finally learn what the big secret was.

On the day of Christmas, Shadow, Tikal, Knuckles, and all of their friends gathered to celebrate the holiday as one big family. Everyone had a great time, everyone was cutting up and making jokes, and the party was so lively and energetic. The kids were roasting marshmallows and having snowball fights, while others simply talked and cuddled next to the fire pits, and some of the couples there would share a loving kiss under the mistletoe.  
To Tikal, it warmed her heart, seeing all her friends and loved ones gather together to celebrate Christmas as a family. It was also cute of her to see Tails and his girlfriend, a badger named Sticks, cuddling together by the fire. And seeing Knuckles and Rouge being civil and loving around each other was also a wonderful sight to see.

And later that night, after the gifts had been exchanged, and everyone had gone home to rest or go to a loved one's house to spend some time together, Tikal looked around for her loved ones, Shadow and Junior. But they were both gone. She figured they must have went inside already.  
But upon entering the house, she still could not find them, no matter where she looked. She placed one hand on her hip and the other under her chin, trying to think of where they would have went off to.

By this point, she was disappointed; Shadow and Junior had gone missing, and they didn't even give her a present. At the party, she had given Shadow a new set of hover shoes with special detailing on it to imitate the style of her people. But he did not give her anything. This left her both mad and sad, but she knew she had to hide it, given that she was surrounded by guests and family. And he fact that the two went missing only made her more upset.  
But when she was about to go to their bedroom, she noticed a note on the door.  
And it read:

 **"Dear Tikal,**  
 **I'm sorry I did not give you a gift at the party. But the gift I DID get for you is not one I could wrap up, or put in a bow.**  
 **Do you remember the project me and Junior worked on? THAT is your gift.**  
 **To see it, you'll need to take the map I have placed for you on our bed.**

 **Again, I'm sorry.**  
 **Love, Shadow and Junior**

Tikal smiled warmly, knowing she wasn't forgotten this year.  
Anxious to see what Shadow and Junior had made for her, she entered her and Shadow's room and picked up the map, looking it over before she set out to find it for herself.

Her travel took her through the jungle and to an ancient ruin.  
 _"What could he have built that would be out here?"_ Tikal wondered. She looked at the map again and saw that, whatever it was, she should be right on top of it. But he continued to look around, unaware of what she was supposed to see.

But then one thing in particular caught her eyes; a strange statue shaped like Ultimate Chaos' head. She never noticed it there before, despiute having been here several times before.  
And another interesting discovery was that there were several discarded leaves surrounding the statue head.  
From there, it wasn't hard for Tikal to put two and two together. Shadow must have used the leaves to cover his special project.

Tikal ran over to the statue head, examining it up close. After several seconds, she noticed that there was a special pedestal with a crystal, similar to a button. So, feeling curious, Tikal pushed the button, causing the mouth to open, revealing a tunnel.

"Huh. I wonder what awaits me at the end of the tunnel..." she muttered as she walked through the tunnel.

At the end, Tikal finally saw what Shadow and Junior's project was; a Chao Garden!  
Tikal was in awe as she looked around. The area was very wide, and there was a big pond that was perfect for the Chao to swim in or ice-skate on. At the back end of the pond was a marble statue of Shadow and her dancing. And judging by how they were dressed, it was from the day of their wedding. On one end was a pavilion with a few benches and a fire pit, where she saw Shadow and Junior roasting marshmallows. A few trees also adorned the terrain, and she noticed some of the Chao were here, playing in the snow and making snowmen. And in one of the walls bordering the garden was a cave, which she assumed was where the Chao go to sleep for the colder weather.

"...Wow..." she said in awe and disbelief. She could not believe that Shadow and Junior would go through all this, just for her.  
She was so caught in the moment that she didn't feel a set of arms wrap around her waist from behind her, but was shook free from the spell the garden had cast on her when she felt a set of teeth gently nibbling at her neck, causing her to giggle. She turned around to see Shadow smiling lovingly at her before kissing her tenderly on the lips, which she was happy to return.

"How are you liking your present?" he asked her.  
"This is… amazing!" Tikal said, absolute glee in her voice. "So this is what you and Junior have been working on for three months?"  
"Correct." Shadow told her. "That's why we both came home dirty, and wet at certain points."  
"And… the marble chippings in your quills?" Tikal questioned curiously.  
"I created that statue of us over there." Shadow said as he gestured over to the statue of them dancing. "It was not easy, let me tell you."  
"I'll bet." Tikal said. "Still… this is beautiful."  
"It will be even more beautiful come spring time." Shadow told her. "And there's one more thing to show you." he said as he took her by the hand and guided her into the cave.

Once inside, Tikal noticed several warm-looking nests scattered around the cave, as well as one in the middle that held a single egg. But this was no ordinary Chao egg; this one looked to be a watery blue, similar to Chaos 0.  
"That egg… I've never seen one like that before." Tikal said as she walked over to the egg and examined it closer.  
"I hunted that egg down for a month." Shadow said. "I heard a legend about a lone egg, said to be spawned by Chaos itself, from Knuckles. Upon hearing that, I knew I HAD to find it."  
"You did?" Tikal asked in amazement. Shadow nodded his head with a smile. "Shadow, you didn't have to go through all this for me."  
Shadow pulled her in for another kiss. "You're right; I DIDN'T. But I chose to."  
Tikal smiled warmly and hugged him tightly.

But their warm, intimate moment was cut short when they heard the egg begin to move and jump. Both turned their heads, and Shadow's eyes lit up.  
"Yes! The egg is finally hatching!" he cried out excitedly.

The egg jumped and shook, and several cracks were beginning to form. As the cracks started getting bigger, several pieces of the shell also started to chip.  
The two watched with anticipation as whatever was in that egg was fighting to get out.

Until finally, it happened.

The top half of the egg popped off, and a small head of a baby Chao popped up, looking around its new environment. Tikal felt her heart melt at the sight of the Chao. It's skin was he same style and color as the shell, and it had glowing green eyes. The orb floating over its head was pink, and it look like it had a few claws similar to Chaos 0.  
"Oh my goodness! It is so cute!" Tikal gushed as she walked over and took the baby out of the shell and hugged it close. The Chao took to her almost instantly, gurgling happily as it snuggled into her. Shadow felt his heart warm up at the sight.

Tikal looked over at Shadow, a stray tear of joy streaking down her face. "Thank you so much, Shadow. I love this so much!"  
"I figured you would." Shadow said as he hugged her close, keeping in mind the baby. "I fear I won't be able to top this next year."  
"Shadow, you won't have to." Tikal told him. "I already feel like the luckiest woman in the whole world. I have a husband I love, Chao that I adore, and now you've given the Chao a special garden to live in, and you've gone above and beyond the call of duty, just to impress me."  
"I just wanted to make you feel special." Shadow said as he cupped her cheek and brought her in for a kiss. Tikal kissed back, but had to cut away shortly to put the Chaos Chao down to play and talk to Junior so she could kiss Shadow properly.

Junior covered the new baby's eyes as he covered his own as he watched his "parents" kissing. Tikal raised one leg up as she massaged Shadow's chest and shoulders. Meanwhile, Shadow massaged her lower back with one of his hands as his other hand threaded in her soft dreadlocks. Shadow tilted his head to deepen the kiss, slipping his tongue into her warm, sweet mouth and thoroughly exploring it. Tikal responded quickly, slipping her own tongue into his mouth as their tongues began to dance gracefully and lovingly. Soft feminie moans and soft throaty moans emerged from them both as they kissed.

When they pulled away, both looked deeply into the other's eyes, love and passion in their eyes.  
"Merry Christmas, Shadow." Tikal said softly.  
"Merry Christmas, Tikal." Shadow said just as softly.  
"I love you." they both said in unison.

Soon, the two Chao went up to their "mommy and daddy", wanting to be held. Shadow picked up Junior while Tikal picked up the watery one.  
"So… have you decided on a name for it?" Shadow asked.  
Tikal smiled softly and nodded her head. "Yes I have. Say hello… to Chaos Jr."  
Shadow returned her smile. "I think that's a great name for it." he said as he looped an arm around her and looked down at the newly hatched baby Chao snuggling into its mother's chest.

Tikal truly felt blessed by God. She has everything she could have ever asked for in her life. She has a husband that she loves and loves her back, friends that she cares for and care for her as well, the Chao, a beautiful garden, and now has a new member of her family.

While her thoughts on this Christmas may seem cliched and overused, but to her, it was the truth.  
To Tikal, this is the best Christmas she has ever had.

 ***Finished! And on Christmas day, too.  
I hope you enjoyed this ultimateCCC. As well as others who happened to read this.  
Anyways, God bless, and Merry Christmas!**


End file.
